HealthTech Ireland, in collaboration with NIMIS (Health Service Executive) through the NHCC brought together members of both the HealthTech Ireland Diagnostics and the Digital Health, Innovation & AI Working Groups for a highly constructive and interactive session yesterday.
The discussion, grounded in the HSE’s Digital for Care strategy, provided clarity and knowledge on the Health Service Executive and NIMIS vision, priorities and opportunities, as well as enabled an open discussion and Q&A on this area.
Fran Thompson, Health Service Executive, Chief Information Officer, outlined how NIMIS fits within the wider digital ecosystem and future Electronic Health Record (EHR), reinforcing that there are no standalone solutions and that integration is key. Mark Gilvarry, Senior Radiographer with the Health Service Executive, shared insights into the NIMIS 2 roadmap, highlighting the importance of resilience, clinical validation and continuous improvement as the system prepares for greater integration and future AI deployment.
A solution‑focused panel discussion, “Enhancing Cross Sector Collaborative Engagement”, followed, moderated by Sarah Reade (EY) including Fran and Mark alongside Helen Calvey (HealthTech Ireland Board/ Alliance Medical Ireland) explored how industry and private providers can support NIMIS, adding value at the edges, addressing capacity, workflow efficiency, validation and safe and clinically led innovation.
Key themes included:
🟢 The importance of robust governance, data protection and legislative alignment
🟢 The role of IHI (Individual Health Identifier) as a foundational enabler for linked patient records
🟢 The need to focus on benefits realisation, not just technology deployment
🟢 The critical role of radiologists, radiographers, GPs and clinicians in change.
Recognising that validation, testing and incremental change are essential to sustainability. Integration and deployment take time, but every incremental change is a step in the right direction.
The event created valuable space for open dialogue between industry and the HSE, focused on how we continue to work together to support Ireland’s Digital for Care strategy, realise the value of innovation and place the patient at the centre of the healthcare system as an empowered partner in their own data.
A sincere thank you to the Health Service Executive, and to the EY team for kindly hosting and facilitating such an open and informative session. Sessions like this continue to highlight the value of bringing industry and the health service together to collectively drive meaningful, patient‑centred digital progress.
